The Man Shaping The Macallan Thinks You Should Open The Bottle Already

Euan Kennedy doesn’t sound like a man who thinks about legacy before his first coffee. Which is probably a good thing, considering he’s responsible for one of the most scrutinised whisky portfolios on the planet. Sure, he'll talk about discovering exceptional casks and travelling the world for The Macallan, but he's just as likely to tell you about the unglamorous reality: getting in early, methodically working through samples, tracking every single cask multiple times over its lifetime.

Kennedy joined The Macallan in 2022, two years before the distillery’s bicentenary. Almost immediately, he was working on TIME:SPACE Mastery, a dense, high-stakes release that stitched together single malts from 14 different cask types. He uses two words to describe it: craftsmanship and creativity. The former is routine, rigour, science. The latter is instinct and imagination. Somewhere between those two poles, working alongside Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell, Kennedy oversees The Macallan's core range and leads R&D.

Raised in Dumfries & Galloway and now firmly based in Speyside, Kennedy speaks about whisky the way engineers talk about systems or chefs talk about ingredients. We caught up with him during his first visit to India to talk about building collections, making occasions instead of waiting for them, and why a distillery celebrating its bicentenary insists it's only 200 years young.

What’s the most exciting part about being a Lead Whisky Maker at The Macallan?

I absolutely love it. I often describe my job as both a pressure and a privilege. I think the pressure comes from the fact that we’re continuing the work of the generations that have gone before us but the privilege is that you get to influence that for the future as well. It’s just a fantastic, fantastic job. I think all of that coming together—I just absolutely love it.

But what’s the most misunderstood part about your job?

There’s a little phrase that we use a lot as a team, which is incomparable craftsmanship and creativity. That, I suppose, is what we’re striving for—that’s our ambition—to always be better than yesterday. There’s usually an element of romanticism in terms of what we do, just because you get the opportunity to meet so many people. But the craftsmanship is probably the bit that’s misunderstood. It’s the getting in early in the morning, the routine of working away, working your way through the samples, and all of that. For instance, we look at every single cask multiple times in its lifetime. So right from the very beginning of maturation, we’re tracking the quality, tracking the flavour, and understanding where we want to use those whiskies—and that just takes a lot of hard work.

How much of it is science versus gut when you’re building a new flavour or working on a new whisky?

That balance between art and science is one of the real joys of the job. We’re in a pretty unique position at The Macallan—we have visibility right across the process. We know exactly where our oak is grown in the north of Spain, we work closely with the cooperages that build and toast our casks, and we’re involved with an incredible bodega, Valdespino, where the sherry is made.

As a whisky maker, that means I get to be part of the conversation at every stage. It’s not my day job to run all of it, but I can influence and shape how things come together. We bring as much science as we can, like setting specifications, but the whisky still surprises you. That’s where instinct comes in: bringing those flavours together in a way people genuinely love.

Can you tell me a little bit more about your journey, and what made you fall in love with whisky—and then decide that this is something you wanted to do?

It’s my first time in India but as a young person, I was very, very lucky and had the chance to travel a little bit. It just amazed me that every single back bar you went to around the world had Scotch whisky available. And as someone from that little corner of Europe, it just amazed me that a little part of my culture and our stories were being told around the world. From a very early age, I knew that I wanted to be a part of that. So I actually set out to study brewing and distilling, making beer and whisky. I’ve spent my whole career understanding where flavour comes from, working with different aspects of Scotch whisky production. And then having the opportunity now, together with the team, to help shape The Macallan of the future is just incredible.

How would you explain whisky making to a non-whisky drinker?

See, I always use two words – craftsmanship and creativity – to describe my day-to-day job.

At The Macallan, craftsmanship means paying obsessive attention to every single cask. We taste, we look at the natural colour, we understand the flavour, and then we start asking questions. Where does this belong? Is it right for Double Cask, or does it lean richer—more dried fruit, deeper colour—something that might suit an 18-year-old instead? A lot of whisky making is that internal conversation, tasting and imagining where a whisky could end up.

If you’re new to whisky, I’d say don’t overthink it. Explore! Some Macallans work brilliantly in cocktails—I’ve been blown away by what bartenders in India are doing. Start with something easy, maybe a fresh highball. And if you’re celebrating, or borrowing a bottle from someone who already loves whisky, take the time with it. That’s where it really clicks.

What really excites you about the future of whisky, especially in a country like India?

We celebrated our 200th anniversary a couple of years ago, which really puts our sense of history into perspective. Around that time, a lot of the conversations were about time—past, present, and future—and what that actually means for us. We’ve got this incredible legacy, amazing people, and so much history behind us. And today, we’re still releasing whiskies that feel timeless. But honestly, it doesn’t feel like a peak moment—it feels like a beginning.

So you know what I like to say? That we’re only 200 years young.

What’s your favourite Macallan?

It depends on the occasion—but one I keep coming back to is The Macallan 15 Year Old Double Cask. It’s beautifully balanced. You’ve got American oak bringing vanilla and citrus, European oak adding richer, sweeter notes, and with The Macallan’s sherry seasoning, it all comes together effortlessly.

For seasoned drinkers, it’s a whisky you can really explore and uncover new layers in. But it’s just as welcoming for someone newer to whisky.

If someone was building a whisky collection, what are some of the do’s and don’ts?

When it comes to whisky collections, of course you end up gravitating towards bottles that feel special. But what I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how often people build these collections and then wait endlessly for the perfect moment to open them. What I’ve been encouraging people to do instead is to make the occasion. Speaking personally, I’ve lost both my grandfathers, and being able to have shared a whisky, like a 25-year-old Macallan, with one of them would have meant everything. So yes, build a collection. Absolutely. But don’t forget that opening a whisky that special can create memories that last far longer than the bottle itself ever will.